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Mikey comes out of the bedroom, dragging a big dinosaur plush toy. “We’re gonna play dinosaurs today!”
“Nikki will like that. Maybe she’ll bring a sweet orange peel treat for you.”
“Yes!”
He loves those things, and I can’t blame him. Nikki, our babysitter, lives a couple of blocks down the road and has a baking habit that always results in her bringing goodies fresh out of the oven for us. Over the past few days, she’s been experimenting with the whole no-wasted-food concept, and so Mikey and I have been enjoying these sugared orange and lime peels that are way healthier and tastier than the store-bought stuff.
I stop by the bathroom mirror to check my image. I’m wearing a long summer dress in shades of pink. It’s meant to cover the baby bump that can’t quite be seen yet. My hair is pulled in a loose bun, black curls falling down the back of my neck. I have a nice tan from all the walking I’ve been doing recently while searching for a job.
No luck yet, except for this studio downtown. Problem is, they requested a letter of recommendation from my previous employer. Given the short period of time that I spent working with the Golden Sequoia Estate, it’s no wonder they would ask for a recommendation.
Even worse, despite the ruthless way in which I rejected Kace, he and the guys keep sending money and gifts for Mikey and me. It’s mostly stuff we need. Nothing ostentatious, but high-quality items I’m not able to afford in-between jobs.
Every Monday, we get locally sourced groceries delivered straight to our door, compliments of the Golden Sequoia Estate. Needless to say, my tattered pride is in the gutter over this, but I can’t exactly turn any of it down, either. They’re helping me hold on to my savings for longer than I had originally anticipated. Their help is keeping my head above water and a roof over our heads.
They call and text often. I barely respond to their messages and I never take their calls. They’ve been respecting my request for solitude as well as they can, but there are times when their emotions get the better of them. They’re only human, and I’ve tested their patience aplenty. I thank them whenever they send us something, and I have made it a habit of sending Kace the occasional photo of Mikey, just so he’s at peace about our son.
Our son.
I’m keeping our son away from his father.
This was never Kace’s fault. It still isn’t. I’m punishing not only Mikey by not allowing him a father but also Kace by depriving him of the incredible son we share.
Once Nikki arrives and takes charge of Mikey, I leave the apartment and drive up to the estate. It’s one of the longest drives I’ve ever had to undertake but not because of the distance. The commute itself was never an issue. It’s not that far away from Sacramento. What makes this journey harder than others before is the fact that I’m about to go back to Kace, Finn, and Elias to ask for a favor. And after the way in which I ended things between us, if I were them, I would tell myself to get bent.
But they’ve continued to be nothing but kind, even in their absence. They’ve been respectful of my wishes, and given the gifts they keep sending me, I know it’s killing them. For me to do this, now… I feel awful. But it’s necessary.
I drive through the front gates, and as soon as I see the buildings rise ahead with their pure white walls and black-framed windows, the rolling hills beyond with their blanket of giant sequoias, I see a place that came to mean so much to me, I see home.
I crumble on the inside.
The sense of familiarity and longing is too much to bear. I’ve got so many beautiful memories here. So many happy memories I still relive in my head whenever I find a moment to myself, whenever I need a bit of nostalgic comfort. The love I found. The love I deliberately gave up. It will haunt me forever. I know it. I can feel it.
But I swallow my tears and shove my pride down as I pull up into the parking lot and make my way to the reception building. Tanya spots me and jumps out from behind the desk, rushing over to hug me.
“I’ve missed you so much!” she squeals as she throws her arms around my neck. She smells of mandarins and jasmine with a hint of orchid. Her favorite perfume. “What are you doing here, Amaya? Are you back?”
I hate to be the one to crush her enthusiasm, but I have no choice, so I shake my head with a sad smile. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just here to talk to the guys. I need to ask them something.”
“Eesh, you picked the worst day,” Tanya replies with a worried look.
“What do you mean?”
“They’re in a meeting with the board of directors,” she says. “Ramada has been actively grooming them to seriously consider her buyout offer. She wants the estate. Badly.”
Another punch in the gut. Kace, Finn, and Elias may be the owners of this place, but they still answer to a board of directors. And if they all turn against them, it could lead to turmoil, chaos, and ultimately a string of legal wars that’ll put the estate in serious jeopardy. “This can’t be,” I mumble. “Tanya, they said they’re never going to sell it.”
“They still don’t want to sell it. That’s why they’re meeting with the board today. To talk some sense into them,” she says. “I have no idea what Ramada promised them, or whose arms she and her daddy have been twisting, but it has been a constant rollercoaster with the guys ever since you left.”
I give Tanya a confused look. “I don’t get it. I was just a yoga teacher.”
“We both know you were more than that,” she shoots back with a cool smile. “Don’t think for a second that I didn’t figure it out.”
“Figure what out?” My blood runs cold. Only Mira knows about our relationship. We agreed that nobody else would understand. Hell, Mira barely understands it but she’s my best friend, the one person I can trust with absolutely anything in this life.
“Amaya. I’ve known the guys for years. I’ve handled their reservations. I’ve met their ladies over time. The ones they paid. The ones they tried to get serious with. I knew Trinity.”
“Trinity,” I whisper.
